Buccaneers at Falcons: 5 what ifs

Tampa Bay's defense ranks 25th overall (359.9 yards per game) and 30th against the run (149.4).

But the Bucs and the Falcons have had some tight games that were projected to be lopsided. Last season at the Georgia Dome, the Falcons needed a late touchdown in the final 26 seconds on a fourth-and-goal to beat the Bucs 20-17.

"I think it's all about the NFC South," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "It's a competitive division. Maybe the most competitive division in the NFL. ... When you go into those [NFC South] games, you know they are going to be hard fought. I think it's not just Tampa Bay, it's the division games. It's very competitive."

2. The Falcons' fans arrive on time and make it a real dome-field advantage.

The Falcons are 16-3 at the Georgia Dome under Smith. Matt Ryan is 16-1 as a starter.

Ryan's only loss was to Denver in 2008. Chris Redman was the starter in losses to Philadelphia and New Orleans last season.

The Falcons have defeated Arizona, San Francisco and Cincinnati at the Georgia Dome this season.

Tampa Bay has won five consecutive road games, dating to last season.

"They are a tough team," Falcons linebacker Mike Peterson said. "Tampa has the history. They are going to play tough, physical ball. Especially on special teams. I'm sure they are going to be ready to play."

3. The Falcons find a way to contain Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman.

The second-year quarterback is drawing raves around the league for the good start to his career. In 16 starts, he has posted six fourth-quarter victories.

Some believe that's the sign of a clutch quarterback.

“From Year 1 to Year 2, the opportunity to spend an entire offseason and work with our coaches, and I feel like it’s made a huge difference," Freeman said. "Whether if it’s understanding our own playbook, understanding defenses or the protection aspect of things, really there’s not a whole lot of indecision in my game right now, and it feels pretty good."

His top target is tight end Kellen Winslow, but rookie wide receiver Mike Williams leads the team in catches with 32, yards with 470 and touchdowns with four.

Freeman has taken care of the ball. He has thrown only three interceptions and has not thrown one over the past three games. He also has eight touchdown passes.

At 6-foot-6, 248 pounds, Freeman also is tough to tackle.

"You definitely have to finish the play with Josh," Falcons safety William Moore said. "If you don't get him down, he can launch the ball 60 yards real quick."

4. The Buccaneers slip into their opportunistic mode.

The Buccaneers lead the league in interceptions with 14.

Last week, they intercepted four passes and returned two for touchdowns in a 38-35 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

In each of their three road wins, over Carolina, Cincinnati and Arizona, the Bucs won the turnover battle. Overall, they have forced 18 turnovers.

Cornerback Aqib Talib has five interceptions and has returned one for a touchdown. Cornerback Ronde Barber and rookie safety Cody Grimm each have two interceptions, and five other players have one.

"They’ve only had 10 giveaways," Smith said. "They’re plus-8. They’re second in the league and three of those takeaways have led to touchdowns. Ball security is going to be a big part of the ballgame."

The Falcons think the Bucs make calculated gambles to get some of their interceptions. They will likely counter with some double-move routes and deep throws.

"On the back end, we’ve got some veterans like Ronde Barber, and Aqib has been playing for a couple of years and some of those types of guys that are really ball-aware," Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris said. "They know their job is to try and score and get the ball back."

5. The Falcons are able to avoid the bye-week blues.

Under Smith, the Falcons are 1-1 coming off the bye week. In 2008, they lost to Philadelphia 27-14 in a road game. In 2009, they went to San Francisco and throttled the 49ers 45-10.

This is the first home game after the bye week.

But over the bye week, Morris caught the Falcons' attention with his boast that the Buccaneers were the "best team in the NFC."

"You try to get away from the game a little bit, but when you have comments being said, that puts a little fire under you," Falcons defensive end Jamaal Anderson said. "I think they got our attention with that. I'm glad that's how they feel about their team, but we feel good about ourselves as well. It will be a good battle, and we'll see who's on top of the NFC South after that."

Before the bye week, the offense had its best performance of the season with Roddy White, Matt Ryan and Michael Turner all having big games against the Bengals.

"There won't be any rust," Turner said. "We are not falling into that. We are going to go out there flying. We are going to start off where we finished two weeks ago."